1. Environmental conditions
- MT and PT are messy in rain, wind, or dust. Penetrant washes away, particles won’t hold.
- UT on hot surfaces: couplant dries, readings drift.
- RT in the field: weather, lighting, and wind can all complicate set-up and safety zones.
2. Access and geometry
- Tight spaces make probe handling, film placement, or magnetization tricky.
- Weld crowns, rough surfaces, or coatings create false indications or loss of coupling.
3. Equipment limitations
- Calibration blocks not matching the actual geometry.
- Instruments losing stability in the cold or heat.
- Batteries running out at the worst possible time.
4. Interpretation challenges
- Distinguishing true flaws from geometry, surface roughness, or repair welds.
- Signals that look different in the shop than they do on a live structure.
- Radiographs with scatter, poor density, or confusing background images.
5. Human and organizational pressures
- Production schedules: “hurry up” often collides with “do it right.”
- Clients who only want “pass/fail” without understanding the nuance of acceptance criteria.
- Paperwork — reports need to be both technically correct and understandable.
6. Safety constraints
- RT requiring exclusion zones when space is limited.
- Working at height or in confined spaces with UT/MT gear strapped on.
- Hazardous materials in PT or MT needing proper disposal, often overlooked on busy sites.
At the core, technicians are balancing standards, physics, and real-world messiness — often under time pressure.
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